This document contains discussion prompts for a course on criminal justice ethics. It includes several hypothetical dilemmas and questions about ethical issues that may arise for law enforcement officers, such as peer pressure, the code of silence, unequal treatment under the law, and the use of force. Students are asked to consider topics like appropriate officer conduct, exposing wrongdoing by colleagues, and interrogating suspects to determine what actions they believe are ethical.

1. Answers go to
https://www.homeworksimple.com/downloads/category/cjus-350/
CJUS 350
Discussion 1: Ethical Issues and Moral Dilemmas
 Do you believe that thinking more clearly about ethical issues and moral dilemmas has
any potential for helping you do what you consider to be the right thing?
 In “Rethinking Ethics in Law Enforcement” Fitch states, “Officers’ peers offer friendship
and informal rewards that, in many cases, hold greater influence than official recognition
from the agency … [this] sense of community drives officers to adopt the behaviors,
values, and attitudes of the group in order to gain acceptance”. He goes on to claim that,
“officers engage in certain forms of conduct to secure and maintain peer-group approval”
(p. 18).
 As a Christian, what do you think about the author’s view on behavioral influences and
values?
 Should loyalty to colleagues be fostered as an appropriate and necessary value?
 Is the code of silence justifiable in policing and corrections? Please explain.
Discussion 2: 14th Amendment
Please post your answers to the following questions:
 Consider the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution which provides equal
protection under the law, or we must treat people who are similarly situated the same. Is
this the case in our criminal justice system?
 If you believe this is not the case, please cite examples in which people who are similarly
situated are not treated the same. (Does biased–based policing exist?)
 Do we control our actions and should we be held accountable for them?
Dilemma:
You are the President of the United States. You are advised that a commercial airliner has
been hijacked by a terrorist who claims to have a bomb on board. The terrorist has
diverted the flight and the plane is headed toward Yankee Stadium where the third game
of the World Series is underway. Fighter jets have been deployed and they are following
the aircraft which has 310 passengers.
If the greater good justifies your decision, what would you do?

2. Discussion 3: Standard Operating Procedures
The following set of behaviors easily could be added to a department’s standard
operating procedures under the ethics category. These behaviors are unacceptable and are
viewed by the police and corrections department as unethical:
1. Accepting gratuities (e.g., gifts, favors, money, or anything given to you free.)
2. Using unnecessary force (e.g., physical abuse, emotional mistreatment, or roughing up
suspects in custody)
3. Discrimination (mistreating individuals on the basis of race, age, gender, religion, culture,
sexual preference, or national origin)
4. Lying in any form (including creating facts to incriminate or protect another)
5. Violating laws, rights, or procedures (e.g., intentionally making a false arrest, filing a
false report, or purposely ignoring departmental procedures)
Add 5 more unacceptable behaviors to this list.
Additionally, for each behavior listed, you must also provide a rational as to why you feel
it should be included in a list of SOP’s.
Discussion 4: Ethical Issues
Please post your answers to the following questions:
 What are your views on the idea of an unwritten code of conduct governing the behavior
of police and corrections officers?
 You are a police officer and you witness your partner of 6 years strike a criminal suspect
who has been arrested and is secured in handcuffs. The actions of your partner are in
violation of your department’s Use of Force policy. Your partner has already received
punitive sanctions in the past for unwarranted use of force, and this incident may
jeopardize his career. What would you do?
Dilemma:
Please read Scenario 1 (p. 39) in the Goodman textbook. How would you handle this
situation?
Discussion 5: Incidents
Consider Frank Serpico, New York City Police Detective (Retired).
In the 1970’s, Detective Serpico “broke the ranks" and exposed police corruption in the
New York City Police Department. As a result, he was shot in the face, and it is his belief
that he was set up by his colleagues—officers charged with the protectionof the

3. citizenry. Do you believe the subculture is so strong that an officer who is considered to
be a “rat” or a “snitch” will be ostracized? Would this officer not be afforded backup or
assistance in a crisis situation? Explain your response.
Congressman Charles Rangel and Mayor Rudolph Giuliani both speak of the “blue wall
of silence.”
Please describe what you think is meant by the blue wall of silence? Does it truly exist or
is this just a perception? Would a police officer with very strong morals, values, and
ethics fail to expose officer wrongdoing? Does the subculture constrain the officer’s
individual values?
Dilemma: Please read Scenario 35 (p. 73) of the Goodman textbook. What would you
do?
Discussion 6: Lead by Example
Please post your answers to the following questions:
 Rookie officers often emulate the actions of their field training officer. Therefore, why is
it important to ensure we select the best field training officers in the organization?
 Please consider the scenario, Moral Weakness/Moral Courage, found in the lecture notes
for this module/week. How would you have handled this situation?
Dilemma:
Please read Scenario 38 (p. 76) from the Goodman testbook. Please advise how you
would handle the situation.
Discussion 7: Conduct Becoming
Please post your answers to the following questions:
 Consider my decision to search the residence for the fugitive. What is your opinion?
 Do you conduct yourselves as if you are on video at all times? Have you done things that
you would not do in front of your grandmother? Why?
 How do you feel about setting limits related to tolerable behavior?
Dilemma:
You are the assigned investigator in the abduction of a five year old girl. Based off of
your interrogation of the suspect, you believe that he is aware of the girl’s whereabouts.
To what lengths would you go to get the suspect to reveal the location of the abducted
child?

4. Discussion 8: Right or Wrong
Please post your answers to the following questions:
 Can an independent thinker be a team player?
 Should we admit to doing wrong?
 What is the difference between a mistake of the mind and a mistake of the heart?
Dilemma:
You are the lead investigator in a double homicide case. You develop a suspect, and
during your interrogation, you have the opportunity to lie to the suspect concerning the
evidence you have against him in this case. The Virginia Court of Appeals upheld lying
to a suspect as an ethical practice in Arthur v. Commonwealth 1997. As a Christian, you
know it is a sin to lie. Will you lie to the suspect concerning the evidence you have
against him in this case in an attempt to illicit a voluntary confession? This interrogation
technique is legally accepted; however, is it moral and ethical?